There is a difference between skill and talent. Talent is something that is inborn while skill is something that can be learnt, developed and improved over time. Thus, speaking is a skill. Through practice, it can lead to perfection.
An effective speaker is someone who can relay his message to his audience clearly and confidently. One delivers a talk in order to be heard and understood. If the audience does not understand and or there are grey areas on the topic, then the speaker is not effective. If the objective of the talk is not clearly transcended, then the speaker loses his goal. In order to become an effective speaker, there are several ways to improve and put into consideration.
Know your audience – Whether you are delivering a speech in a big crowd or in a small meeting, you have to know who will be your audience. You have to know the minimum number of participants. In this way, you can prepare your speech. Knowing your audience will help you in choosing your language that you will use. In communication, there are varying languages depending on the audience. Once you are talking to youths, your words must be connected to their language such as millennial. When talking to executives, your words must be the language of the corporate world and in dealing with government officials; it should be correlated to politics. So it depends on your audience on what kind of words you will use in your talk.
Clarity – This is the basis of effective speaking. When your message is clear, then your objective is achieved. No matter how good your article or speech is, when it is not clearly delivered, it is still a failure. Clarity is how clearly you articulate the message. This includes your enunciation and pronunciation. In order to have a good articulation, it is advisable to be relaxed and unclenched the jaw. In this way, clear words will go out of your mouth.
Variety – Nobody wants to listen to a monotone voice. It will just sound boring and the audience will lose the interest in listening to you. Rule of thumb is to get the attention of your audience. On your first words, you should be able to get their interest and build rapport. In this way, they will listen to you until the end of your speech. In order to achieve variety, there should be the volume or tonal quality. A loud voice is not shouting but this is what you call the projected voice. Projected voice gives emphasis to certain words or phrases. Another variety is the use of pauses. A pause is very powerful. It highlights the preceding statements. It also lets the listeners interpret your message during pauses. Another variety is the pacing. It is the speed on how you talk whether fast or slow. Variety like tonal quality or volume of voice pauses, and speed conveys authority and confidence. In order to perfect these varieties, it is suggested to practice breathing exercises. Breathing gives you the power to modulate and present your voice in a way that can attract and entice. For more information, visit: https://www.workingvoices.com/courses/interpersonal-skills/effective-global-communications/
Effective Speaking Skills
